St. James of the March

James came from Monteprandone in the March of Ancona. His education at Perugia prepared him for work as a tutor and for service in Florence. Butler describes the growing desire for prayer that led him to reconsider the course of his life. During a visit to the Portiuncula near Assisi, he resolved to enter the Franciscan Order.

His religious life was marked by poverty, demanding personal discipline and a long ministry of preaching. Butler recalls his association with John Capistran and journeys through Germany, Bohemia and Hungary. He was repeatedly employed in missions beyond Italy, while continuing to seek the life of a friar rather than promotion to ecclesiastical dignity.

The account also records the theological dispute over the Precious Blood in which James became involved, without attempting to resolve the whole controversy in this short reading. His last years ended at Naples, where he died on November 28, 1476. His memory joins the prayer and poverty of Franciscan life to preaching that carried him through many countries.